EU Elections: Voting Begins in Latvia, Slovakia, Italy, and Malta; Continues in Czech Republic, Ends in Ireland

Latvia, Slovakia and the smallest EU member Malta opened their polling stations this morning. Later this afternoon, crucial voting began in Italy, where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing Brothers of Italy party hope to strengthen their position. The Czech Republic started its second day of voting today. Ireland closed its polls last night, 7 June, at 10pm. 

This year marks the 10th parliamentary election since the first one in 1979 and the first since Brexit.

More than 350 million voters across the 27 EU countries are going to the polls to elect the next European Parliament. 

Voters will evaluate their politicians on important issues such as climate change and the future of the European Green Deal, the economic recovery from COVID-19, migration and the EU's role on the global stage. 

At stake is who will lead the European institutions in Brussels, including the Commission and the Council, which set the political course of the European Union over the next five years. 

In Ireland, polling stations for the local and European elections closed the night before.

A total of 949 seats in city and county councils will be up for grabs in 31 local authorities, and 14 MEPs will be elected to the European Parliament.

Polling stations opened at 07:00 and were open until 22:00 local time.

Many schoolchildren were given the day off as their building was used as a polling station.

Voting was held in three electoral formats: European Parliament elections, local elections and the election of the mayor of Limerick.

As a reminder, Estonia was the first country in Europe to launch electronic voting to the European Parliament.